Children to have opportunity to learn about different trucks at Bradenton Central Library event

MANATEE -- Manatee County trucks, fire rescue vehicles and a Budweiser Hot Rod will be on display Saturday as part of the Touch-a-Truck event at the Central Library.

Children will have the chance to climb in the trucks, blow the horns and push the buttons as part of the event, which will take place from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday in the library's north parking lot, 1301 Barcarrota Blvd. W., Bradenton.

"It just really turned into a great family outing opportunity," Kevin Beach, library operations manager, said of last year's event.

The county's public works department will have several vehicles on display, including a sweeper, water truck, brush fire truck and utility vehicle, according to a press release.

County employees who use the trucks for work will be on hand to demonstrate the different parts of the vehicles, Beach said.

"It's a little educational as well," Beach said.

There will also be a military truck in addition to the Budweiser Hot Rod, Beach said.

"We thought that would be a cool thing for the kids to look at," Beach said of the Hot Rod.

In addition to the trucks parked in the north parking lot of the Central Library, there will also be children's activities in the Youth Center on the second floor of the library.

The activities include cutting out and building a 3D model truck as well as storytime about trucks, Beach said.

For Beach, his favorite part of the event, which is in its second year, is seeing the fathers come into the library with their children.

"To me, it's really exciting seeing the dads coming in and playing with the kids and exploring the library," he said. "We are attracting people that didn't use the library before."

Events such as the Touch-a-Truck event help show that there are "cool things at the library and it is not just about books," Beach said.

Beach said they are hoping to attract people, who may already be downtown Saturday, to the free event.

"We are hoping a lot of them will migrate over," he said.

Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter@Claire_Aronson.

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 4:48 PM with the headline "Children to have opportunity to learn about different trucks at Bradenton Central Library event ."